7 Things You Should Know Before You Buy a Flute   xxxxx The Best Brand To ask which is the best brand of flute to buy is a little like asking which is the best flower to plant in your garden. To choose a flower for your garden you need to consider what type of soil you have, how much sunshine the flower will get and what kind of climate you live in, among other things. In deciding which flute to buy, a lot depends on how old you are, the size of your budget and what your favorite color is.   1. Reliability - How Long Will the Flute Last? 2. How to Spot a Forgery? 3. Extras - Which are the Ones You Need? 4. Tone Quality  What Makes a Flute Sound Good? 5. New vs Second-hand 6. Design, Features and Options 7. The Best Brand       As a guide, I’ve prepared the following list, which provides my view of the best flutes on the market for the beginning to intermediate player. Just because any particular brand isn’t in the list doesn’t mean I think it’s bad; it’s just that I haven’t lived long enough to meet them all. My recommendation: The Yamaha flute (silver-plated and up, not nickel-plated) gives a lovely tone and is very reliable in the long term. You’re unlikely to go wrong with any of these brands: Armstrong, Azumi, Jupiter, Pearl, Sankyo, Trevor James, Also good are Emerson, Gemeinhardt, Miyazawa. Amongst the innumerable makes and models at the cheaper end of the market I’ve had personal experience with Funky Monkey, Sterling and Cibaili, and can vouch for them. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading my report on how to choose a flute. Please email me at andrew@andrewscottmusic if there’s anything more I can help you with. Happy playing,